Curtain Call

A 50-year-old Feluda, is now more of an armchair journalist. Topshe, 37, is about to get married. Mukul, from Sonar Kella is a student of History at Presidency College, while Riku, from Joi Baba Felunath is pursuing a degree in English from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Feluda takes on the stage as a 50-year-old armchair journalist. Topshe is settled in holy matrimony

A 50-year-old Feluda, is now more of an armchair journalist. Topshe, 37, is about to get married. Mukul, from Sonar Kella is a student of History at Presidency College, while Riku, from Joi Baba Felunath is pursuing a degree in English from Jawaharlal Nehru University. They all unite to match wits with Maganlal Meghraj, arguably Feluda8217;s most dangerous adversary. Sounds like a plot of a hitherto unpublished Feluda story? Think again. This reunion of iconic Satyajit Ray characters, happened a few months ago in Bangalore. Young theatre enthusiast, Srijit Mukherji8217;s play, Feluda Ferot, which was staged at Bangalore this July, is an attempt to make the Feluda series 8220;timeless8221;.

8220;Like most Bengali youngsters, I grew up reading Feluda. Eventually, I grew out of it. However, I rediscovered the stories recently, and realised that Feluda stories were solely targeted at children. Which is why Ray, refrained from making it complex,8221; says Mukherji who gave up a flourishing career in the IT industry to pursue a career in the arts.

The play was inspired from the famous Kabir Suman song dedicated to Feluda. 8220;The song has haunted me for a long time. All Feluda fans like me must have wondered how Feluda ages? Whether Topshe ever gets married? What happens to Mukul? Feluda Ferot is an attempt to explore these possibilities,8221; adds Mukherji.

For those who have some questions about Feluda8217;s love life, the play has some answers. 8220;We allude to an Irene Adler kind of figure in his life. Like Sherlock Holmes, Feluda too seems to be a one woman man,8221; says Mukherji.

The play is much more than a detective story, Mukherji layers it with different elements like folk traditions of Jatra and Pala Gaan projected through video clippings on the stage. The play also incorporates a short film made by Mukherji. 8220;We wanted the play to be a complex study of the characters. It takes a philosophical look at different ethical issues,8221; adds Mukherji.

The cast includes names that have been associated with Ray or Feluda in some way or the other. Barun Chanda, who plays the elderly Feluda, was the main lead in Ray8217;s Seemabaddha. While Parambrata Chatterjee, who played Topshe in the last two Feluda films, reprises his role in the play. 8220;This is a very different Topshe. He looks different and of course older. But the character is also layered. He is much more than a sidekick in the play,8221; says Chatterjee. Playing the character in a different medium was a 8220;bit difficult8221; adds, Chattrejee. 8220;Film is my medium, am not very comfortable with theatre. However, it was a learning experience to interpret the character in a different way,8221; he says.

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Mukherji, who is in the city to work on another play, had invested all his savings into it. 8220;I was sure it will work,8221; he grins. And it did. With the full support of sizable Bengali population in Bangalore, there is no way Feluda Ferot could have failed. 8220;We plan to stage it in Kolkata early next year. I will try and take it to other cities as well,8221; says Mukherji.